Horse-detacher.



PATENTBD APR. 10, 1906.

J. GREECE.

HORSE DETAOHER.

APPLICIATION FILED JUNE 29, 1905 JAMES GREECE, OF UNIONTOWN,PENNSYLVANIA.

' HORSE-DETACHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906.

Application filed June 29,1905. Serial No. 267,569.

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES GREECE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Uniontown, in the county of Fayette and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference be inghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My present invention relates to improvements in vehicles, and hasspecial reference to an improved mechanism by means of which harnessedanimals may be quickly hitched to a shafted vehicle or in case ofaccident or runaway quickly unhitched, so as to prevent the animal fromdoing any damage to himself or vehicle.

To this end my invention consists of a new and novel construction ofmeans whereby the traces are connected to the swingletree of a vehicleand whereby the breeching-straps are also connected, the said connectionfor the traces being operated in case of accident or runaway so as todisconnect the traces and allow the animal to escape from the shafts,the breeching-straps being disconnected as the animal moves forward andout of the shafts. To prevent the shafts from dropping to the ground asthe animal is unhitched, I provide means to support the same. To attainthese objects, my invention consists of a new and novel construction ofapparatus, as herein set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle,showing my invention as applied in use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailview of the trace-hitching device shown in the position it assumes whenreleasing the trace. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the complete shaftsremoved, showing my invention as applied thereto, the swingletree beingin section; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of thebreeching-securing device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the vehicle, whichhas connected thereto in the usual manner the shafts 2, which areprovided, as usual, with the swin gletree 3. The swingletree is providedwith the central cut-away portion 4 upon' its upper face and with thelongitudinal groove or slot 5 upon the rear face thereof. Itotatablymounted in this longitudinal groove or slot is a rock-shaft 6, providedwith the centrallyarranged. hooked bail 7 and upon the terminals 8 and 9thereof with the trace-securing hooks 10. Any form of securing means maybe employed to hold the rod within the groove, preferably staples 11.Connected to the centrally-arranged bail is the forward end of theoperating-lever 12, which is adapted to extend rearwardly and have itshandle 13 in close proximity to the driver, either passing through thedashboard or over the same.

Any number of lovers may be employed and are conveniently located so asto rotate the rotatable rod 6, thus causing the hooks 10 to move in theproper direction to allow the traces to slide thereofl', the said hooksbeing so constructed as to cause the trace to move inward. when the sameis properly hitched or to move outward when it is desired to unhitch theanimal from the shafts.

In order to prevent the shafts from falling as the traces are loosenedand the animal removed'from the shaft, I provide a pair of coiledsprings 14, which are connected to the sihafts and to the vehicle, asclearly shown in ig. 1.

In order to properly secure the holdbackstraps or breeching to theshafts, so as to operate properly in going downhill, but will be readilyreleased when the animal is allowed to pass from the shafts, I secure tothe shafts, by means of the rivets 16, the sleeve 17, which is adaptedto surround the shaft and is provided upon its inner face with the twosleeves 18 and 19, the bore thereof running parallel with the shaft.Slidably mounted. Within the bore of these sleeves is a securing-pin 20,whose eye 21 is toward the front of the shaft and is connected to aportion of the harness of the animal, while the link 22 is adapted toenter the recess 23 between the two sleeves and be held in said recessby means of the pin, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will thus be seenthat as the traces are disconnected from the swingletree the animalmoves forward and the pins are withdrawn from the sleeves and the linkconnected to the breeching is un fastened and the animal is entirelyunhitched from the shafts. In order to prevent the link from catching tothe front sleeve, the rear edge 24 is beveled or inclined, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3.

In order to hold the lever properly in inoperative position within thevehicle, I secure a catch 25 upon any convenient part of the ve hicle bymeans of the plate 26, the lever being adapted to pass through the slotor open- ICC ing 27 and have its downwardly-projecting lug or latch 28engage the catch, so as to be held in inoperative position.

If it should become necessary to unhitch the animal, it is simplynecessary to push the lever forward, which in turn rotates thetrace-securing means, thus disconnecting the traces and allowing theanimal to walk or run out of the shafts, the breeching or holdback strapbeing disconnected as the animal moves forward.

This device is not only to be used in case of runaways or accidents, butalso provides a practical and useful means whereby animals are quicklyhitched or unhitched, as the pin and link for securing the holdback orbreeching straps can be connected to the harness, and all that isnecessary is to properly secure the pin and links in place and connectthe traces to the trace-connecting means.

In rainy and cold weather this apparatus is very desirable, as theanimal can be quickly hitched and unhitched without the necessity of thedriver exposing himself unnecessarily to the weather.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a vehicle, the combination with the shafts and a swingletree, thelatter provided with a longitudinal slot and a cut-away portion, of atrace-carrying rock-shaft rotatably mounted in the slot and providedwith a bail in alinement with the cut-away portion, a rod engaging thebail and controlled by the driver on the wagon, said rod beingconstructed and arranged for forward movement, only, in rocking theshaft to release the traces therefrom, and means for connecting theholdback-straps to the shafts and constructed and arranged to permitautomatic disengagement from the shafts of the holdback-straps byforward movement of the ani mal upon disengagement of the traces fromthe swingletree.

2. In a vehicle, the combination with the shafts and a swingletree, thelatter provided with a longitudinal slot and a cut-away por tion, of atrace-carrying rock-shaft rotatably arranged for forward movement, only,in

rocking the shaft to release the traces therefrom, a sleeve rigidlysecured around each shaft, and removable means engaging each sleeve andadapted for removable engagement, also, with the holdback-straps.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with the shafts and a swingletree, thelatter provided with a longitudinal slot and a cut-away portion, of atrace-carrying rock-shaft rotatably mounted in the slot and providedwith a bail in alinement with the cut-away portion, a rod engaging thebail and controlled by the driver on the wagon, said rod beingconstructed and arranged for forward movement, only, in rocking theshaft to release the traces therefrom, a sleeve rigidly secured aroundeach shaft, and a removable pin slidably mounted in the sleeve and withwhich the holdback-straps removably engage.

4. In a vehicle, the combination with the shafts and a swingletree, thelatter provided with a longitudinal slot and a cut-away portion, of atrace-carrying rock-shaft rotatably mounted in the slot and providedwith a bail in alinement with the cut-away portion, a rod engaging thebail and controlled by the driver on the wagon, said rod beingconstructed and arranged for forward movement, only, in rocking theshaft to release the traces therefrom, a sleeve rigidly secured aroundeach shaft, a removable-pin slidably mounted in the sleeve and withwhich the holdback-straps removably engage, and a connection between thepin and a portion of the harness of the horse other than theholdback-straps.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES GREECE.

Witnesses ROBERT LAURIE, HARRY THORNE.

